Now that you have three potential topics for research, it is time to narrow the list to just one. Your topic should be:
researchable
within the scope of the assignment
audience appropriate
The following directions will help you pick that perfect topic.
Open up your Interest Inventory (or use the hard copy) and find the three topics you underlined.
Next, you will do a preliminary source review--this means that you will find out how many research resources are available for each of your three potential topics.
Using the research engines provided, look for information on your topics. Remember to include synonyms and keywords in your searches. Here are the online sources that are acceptable for this project. You can research any appropriate topic, but you must stick to these resources.
Make a mental note of the sources that are available to you--is there enough out there for you to actually learn something about this topic using the resources provided?
The next step is to decide which of your topics suits the length of the assignment. Don't pick one that you could write a book on and don't pick one that would leave you stuck after a page.
Finally, clear your topic with your teacher. Not all of the things that interest you may work for a school assignment. You will submit your topic to your teacher through this page's message service. Click the envelope at the top of your screen, type in the words 7thgrade in the "To" line, in the subject line type "My Topic", and in the body of the email tell your teacher what it is you would like to write about. Finally, don't forget to click "Send".
Now that you have three potential topics for research, it is time to narrow the list to just one. Your topic should be:
The following directions will help you pick that perfect topic.
Now that you have a topic, it's time to create your research questions.